Apparatus for making tiles from clay products



vM113' 14, 1940. R. M. r-'LolauasV 2,200,270

APPARATUS FOR MAKING TILES FROM CLAY PRODUCTS Filed Nov. 29, 1937 V 'u e 19 l 10 jg l '5 ay Y 20 20 4 l i 6 l l l j lI d' h'p l l5 l 5 2 WWW/y, 2/ l J4 /Z V2 we; 2 JeeQlQwelQeed a @0W (D .9

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. l BY ATTORNEY.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 14, 1940. R; M. FLORES 2,200,270 APPARATUS FOR MAKING TILES FROM CLAY PRODUCTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. `2&1), 1937 gzll INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

I Patented May 14, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE" APPARATUS FOR MAKING TILES FROM CLAY PRODUCTS Raymond M. Flc-res, Mineral Wells, Tex., assigner of one-half to H. E. Ellis, Mineral Wells, '.lex.

Application November 2 4 Claims.

This invention relates to the production of floor tiles, wall tiles and other clay products, and the primary `object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for making the above products in a minimum of time and labor, and without any special skill on the part of the operator.

' Preliminary to a clear understanding of the invention, it may be stated that floor and wall tiles have been and are now being made which have all the requisites of a well turned out product, with round corners, beveled edges and sides, etc., the result of a hand-made tile and including any desired design or imprint. This process of producing such clay tiles and wall tiles is, however, slow and to mould tiles in this manner the operator must have considerable experience,` and the product is comparatively high in price.

In the invention submittedior consideration and on which a patent is sought there is provided al device or apparatus comprising the combination of `a die-cut press, a tile moulder, a tile cutter and trimmer and also a design printer means, and with4 the combined arrangement of parts most any person without' any `previous experience this art may mould land produce any desired kind of floor or wall tiles, more beautifully and with a greater rapidity than the most skilled moulder in the ceramic art. Further, with the device hereinafter described in detail, clay products of shapes that heretofore could only be made in plaster of Paris moulds can be produced asrapidly as a slab making machine can produce slabs of clay.

In the drawings hereunto annexed and made a part of this specification are illustrated a-form of device or apparatus designed to bring about the objects heretofore referred to, and in'said drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the invention, partly in section, and partly in broken formation, y

Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure l, the operating lever being broken away,

Figure 3 is an enlarged plan view of one of the .units embodied in the'assembly shown in Figures 1 and 2, l

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 3, the view being had on the line 4-4 of said figure,

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, showing one of the units in a clay cutting and stamping kor imprint position on a slab vof clay,

Figure 6 represents ,a sectional View of a por tion of a clay slab after being cut and stamped byA one ofthe units,

Figure 7 is a sectional detail view of a trimmer 9, 1937, seriaiNo. 176,960 (C1. 25`105 forproducing beveled or rounded edges of the product and ligurev 8 is a fragmentary detail view of apiece of tile, showing the result of the trimming, l

Figures 9 and l0 are plan views, respectively, of two shapes and designs, illustrative of the designs and shapes which may be formed by the device,

Figures 1l and l2 are bottom views, respectively, of an assembly of the units in close relation where the tiles are cuten masse, Fig. 11 l showing the half vtiles which are produced there-` by when a hexagonal or similar form is desired, and

Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 11.

In carrying out the invention and in order to provide a maximum production of the previously described tiles with the device, a moving slab of clay of any desired thickness must rst be obtained. Thiscan very easily be done by means of one of the many different types of brick machines now in use. In Athe drawings and as illustrated lin Figures 1 and'2, a support or table I is provided, the table having a wide groove between the points 3 3, and' inthe groove is a metal inlay 2, lubricated with oil, on which theV slab of clay will slide. A plate of material, preferably rectangular in shape, as indicated at 4, is mounted on posts 5, this plate having openings at ea'ch end so that the plate may move loosely on the posts. On each post are also mounted springs 6, the plate resting on the springs. Members 1 are placed on the top end portion of the assembly plate 4 or made a part of the plate and a collar 8, with set screw as shown, is provided.

for each post to make` proper adjustments. They springs 6 are for keeping the assembly plate up in a normal position. The plate 4 carries the assembly of tile moulding yand stamping units,

such as are illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 5,`and

pressure is applied to the plate by means of a lever. 9, pivotally connected to one ofthe posts 5 by pin as shown. A post II) is also mounted on the upper side of the plate 4 and pivotally connected to the lever 9. Thus when the handle portion II of the lever is brought downwardly until the lever bears upon the end of the post to the right in the drawings, the assembly plate 4 is pressed against the springs 6, the arrangement providing a yieldable and guiding descent of the plate carrying the units whereby the latter are forced into the clay slab, shown at I2.

Each of the cutting and stamping units embodies a hollow die having a top I3 and sides I4, the sides having beveled cutting edges I5. The

4 by the screws I6a, the units being spaced from one another. Each of the units provides a cutting and printing arrangement embodied in f the sides I4 and the plate I6. As depicted in Figures 4 and 5, the plate I 6 has an embossed design of the desired shape or form as indicated at I'I, and a rod or post I8 with a winged nut I9 is provided for the purpose of adjusting and guiding the printing plate IG up and down. To properly guide the plate I 5 as it is moved upwardly and downwardly between the sides Ill, when cutting through the clay slab I2, the top of the unit as at I3 projects into a tubular member 20, and between the underside of the top and plate I6 is a spring 2|. The purpose of this spring is to push down plate I6 to remove the tile from the cutting edges o1 the sides M of the mould when assembly plate 4 is moving upwardly. Set screwsv 22 are stops for thepurpose of limiting the inward sliding movement of the plate I6. Adjustment of these screws will be made in accordance with the thickness of the slab from which the tile is cut. In Figures 4 and 5 are shown the positions one of the units takes in cutting and stamping or imprinting a tile 23 such as are shown in Figures 9 and 10. In Figure 4 the unit is in its upper position ready to be pressed downwardly upon the clay slab l2, and in Figure- 5 the embossed plate It has been moved suiiciently upon the surface of the slab to produce the design and to simultaneously cut, press and trim the clay tile from the slab, with the result as shown in Figure 6, the imprint and cuts, respectively, being indicated at 24 and 25.

Figures 11, 12 and 13 represent anotherform of assembling the units in close relation, and in this arrangement the tops of each unit are united in one piece of material as -at 26, and the sides 21, similar to the sides I4, previously described, form a dividing wall or sides with the sharpened edges 2B for cutting the slab I2. 4

The beveled edges and rounded corners of the tile are made by the plate 29, resulting in the corners 3I and the edges 32.

In the operation of the device, the slab of clay` Z is made to move underneath the units, traveling on the lubricated plate 2. The .desired plate pressure for the printing of the designis set to proper adjustment, and the lever 9 operated to press the assembly of umts into the slab I2, after which the resulting tiles are trimmed,v The` downward movement of the plates fi and 25 compress the tile to be cut and the plate I 6 prints the design thereon as previously described. Where the tile is to be plain with no design, the material is compressed to a flat surface., On the upward movement of the plate 4 or the plate 26, the impression or compression plates I6, being under pressure of the springs 2 I force the tile cut from the cutting edges of the sides. In Figures 11, 12 and 13 are shown an assembly of units closely related, and previously described, and in Figure 11 the half tiles necessary in the formation and 2,200,270 l cutting of tiles are indicated at 3l), at the edges of the-plate 26.

While there is disclosed a practical working embodiment of the apparatus embodying the in-` Vention, it is to be understood that changesand alterations are possible therein, in keeping with the intent of the invention, such modifications being within the scope and meaning' 0f the appended claims. l

What is claimed as new is: l

l. A cutting unit fertile forming, comprising a hollow die having one end open, a plate slidable within'said die, a center post projecting from said plate, means at the other end of the die for guiding said post, means normally forcing said plate toward the open end of said die, means on said post limiting said movement, and adjustable` stop means mounted in said die` in position to 5 contact a portion of said plate spaced from the post upon movement of the plate away from the open end of the die to limit said last mentioned movement.

2. A cutting unit for tile forming, comprisinga v hollow die open at one end and closed at the other, a plate slidable axially within said die and confv forming substantially to the sizeand shape of the interior thereof, a post extending centrally from said plate and slidable throughthe closed end of said die, a nut threaded on the outer end of said post and engageable with said die, an expansion spring encircling said post and interposed between said plate and the closed yend of said die, and stop screws threaded through said closed end of the die to limit the travel of said plate inwardly from said open end.

3. A cutting unit for tile forming, comprising a hollow die having one` end open, a `plate slidable within said die, a center post projectingfrom said plate, means at the other end of the die for guiding said post, means normally forcing said plate toward the open end of said die, means on said I post limiting said movement, adjustable stop means mounted in said die in position to contact a portion of said plate spaced from the post upon movement of the plate away from the open end of the die to limit said last mentioned movement,

and said plate `having a continuous iin projecting from the edge thereof in the direction of the open end of said plate and rounding into the body of said plate.

4. A cutting unit for tile forming, comprising a hollow die open at one end and closed at its oppoof said die, a nut threaded upon the outer end of said post and engageable with said tubular portion, and screws threaded through the closed end Y of said die and projecting into the latter to limit' the travel of the plate inwardly from the `open end thereof. f RAYMOND M. FLORES. 

